For Brilliant Business Ideas, Create Like A Kid, Innovate As A Team

Innovation and creativity are key drivers of business growth, but they are also the most elusive and perhaps the least understood. Steve Jobs, Larry Page and Elon Musk and Reid Hoffman are some of the great business innovators of the last 30 years, and the $60 million dollar question asked by entrepreneurs today is where does that level of innovative prowess come from?

There are different schools of thought on the best way to stimulate creative thinking. Taking time out of the business is one. Bill Gates was known for taking regular ‘think weeks’ to spend time alone reading books and articles and pondering the strategy of Microsoft.

Others invigorate their thinking power by changing aspects of their daily routine, for example, driving different routes in to work, to ensure they start their day in a reflex mindset.

But some believe that the key to true innovation is much simpler, and lies in the ability to think like a child. It’s an idea that resonates with serial entrepreneur, prolific innovator, and a Chair of the UK Academy of Chief Executives Vince Tickel.

He says: “When it comes to business innovation, most people in most industries are asleep. Businesses don’t innovate; they copy what exists and change it slightly. Business leaders don’t break the rules, or try to think of things in a radically different way. What got them into running a successful business is what’s stopping them from innovating, because to innovate takes risk.

"This is where children are magic. They imagine without any of limitations that we put on our thinking as adults. By being childlike in the way you approach problems, you see them from a completely different place, and then the opportunities arise. Most will be useless, but some will be gold dust, and in that gold dust is the ability to differentiate yourself.”

Tickel is also the CEO of Branded Copiers, a company that designs and produces bespoke outer coverings for photocopiers; the outcome of his own unfettered creative imagination.

He says: “Photocopiers print things. They are dull and unattractive, so I came up with the idea of branding them. It was out with the old grey photocopier sitting in the corner of the office, and in with polka dots or leopard skin, effectively turning a boring, functional piece of office equipment, into a piece of art, something fun, a talking point. We’ve been doing this for about 18 months, and we’ve sold a few hundred machines. We also have customers coming back to us. It was out of the box thinking, but it worked.”

But not everyone is convinced that the ability to imagine like a child, free from restraints, is the key to true business innovation. Dr. Valérie Claude-Gaudillat, professor of strategy at Audencia Business School in France, says: “Basic science shows that the brain evolves and initial conditions cannot be restored.

"Even if a magic wand would make this possible, childhood omits the accumulation of knowledge needed to be creative for the business world. Indeed, creativity is commonly defined as the production of novel, useful ideas or problem solutions. Research has shown that creativity is related both to internal factors, including personal characteristics, and external environmental factors.”

Among personal characteristics that positively affect creativity, is the motivation to accomplish a task, the expertise in a given domain and creative skills. Accepting uncertainty, tolerating frustration and the willingness to be independent while showing a strong sense of self-discipline are also pivotal to creativity. “Of course, an imaginative and positive mind is also essential,” he says. “We are already quite far removed from thinking solely as a child.”

Another factor is understanding the difference between innovation and creativity, says Xavier Castaner, professor at HEC Lausanne business school, author of the report ‘Redefining Creativity and Innovation in Organisations’.

He says: “A creative idea only becomes innovation if it is deemed useful and is driven by product development. This nuance is often not understood and the terms creativity and innovation are often mixed up. True creativity is not about setting out to be useful in the first instance; in fact this can stifle the creative process. As such, when brainstorming, it’s important to share ideas without pre-conceptions and judgements about where it might lead. And, if you force usefulness into a creative idea you can stifle it.”

Innovation is often associated with inventors or entrepreneurs toiling away on their next great idea on their own. In truth, great ideas don’t emerge in a vacuum, but as a result of collaboration between people who have the opportunity to work in an open culture that encourages and nurtures collaborative ideation and delivers innovation.

Business leaders must also ensure that their company accepts failure and can learn from it. “The idea of ‘fail fast but fail forward’ suggests that business leaders must be prepared to make mistakes when striving to unlock true innovative potential,” says Ravi Krishnamoorthi, Senior Vice President Fujitsu EMEIA. “The perception that failure is an instant defeat is one that must be altered. True innovation comes from a strong attitude, culture and values that leaders instil within organisations. Therein lies the difference between thinking like a child and truly creating innovation that helps a business grow and flourish.”

I'm a freelance journalist, founder of Coleman Media. For the last 20 years I’ve covered business stories for national and international online and print publications, with a special interest in entrepreneurs and their startups. Away from business, I'm an accomplished ghostw...